


Of Oceans and Awkward Romances

by ouranose



Series: Trope Challenge [17]
Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Baz is also alone, But in a different way, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, M/M, Simon is all alone, SnowBaz, Strangers to Friends, baz is a sad prince, kingdom au, lonely Simon, lonely baz, mermaid au, sad Baz, simon is a mermaid, they swim together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-01
Updated: 2019-12-01
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:01:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21637789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ouranose/pseuds/ouranose
Summary: Trope #21 of 30, per the list seen on Twitter in a series of tweets by @ selpukuPrompt: fantasy AU: ‘I’m a merfolk who falls in love with a human and I need to use magic to trade my fins for legs for a while to see them on land’Bonus if: the merfolk becomes human in the end or vice versaBaz is a prince dealing with the knowledge that he'll never meet his father's expectations. Simon is a mermaid who comes from no one and nothing. In a chance meeting, they become unlikely friends.
Relationships: Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch/Simon Snow
Series: Trope Challenge [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1534436
Kudos: 56





	Of Oceans and Awkward Romances

The sun was barely touching the horizon on its way down, the light casting the waves in pretty shades of violets and roses. The water was icy against his calves, but Baz didn’t try to escape it. The sharp cold against his skin was waking his nerves up again. It’d been a long evening, one full of fake smiles and the droning conversations one might have with the son of the king when they’re trying to get on his good side. 

Unfortunately, Baz couldn’t have cared less about this lord or that lady and what it was that they’d proposed at the last States meeting. In hindsight, he knew that these meetings were supposed to be beneficial for the people. Baz was expected to make connections, forge alliances, etc. 

He was fine with it too, even if he thought the topics of choice were boring. He could handle _boring_. It was the weight of expectation he was struggling with. The knowledge that as it stood, he would always end up letting his father down in some way. 

Letting out an unhappy noise, Baz wiggled his toes. The sand was in the almost-liquid sludge consistency as it slid against his skin. It was a comforting experience, something that brought memories of his mother to mind. Her face, haloed by summer sunshine, a smile splitting her cheeks, arms outstretched to him. They spent many secret afternoons there together - but that was before. 

From a distance, Baz heard a splash, and then softer, another. 

His head snapped up, his muscles tensed and ready to flee. There was no one along the beach to either side, no one crawling down the rocks to get to this secret place. Narrowing his eyes, he glanced out to the sharp rocks jutting out from the sea like teeth. 

It was a shock when he met two blue eyes staring at him from beneath a sopping mop of golden curls. He took a step forward without thinking, his heart pounding against its cage. “Excuse me?” He called out, his voice sounding too loud in this quiet place. He took another step forward, the water beginning to touch the edges of his cuffed pants. 

_The issue_ , Baz rationalized with himself, _is that this is a very bad place to swim._ Which was true - with the rocks jutting out and the currents being so strong, you’d have to be a very good swimmer to stay safe. Although he wasn’t a particularly good swimmer, he needed to be prepared to save this person, because he was the _prince_ and that was the _princely_ thing to do.

In reality, Baz knew that he was desperate for something to give him _reason_. Any reason. He knew the only people in his town that would risk being in this kind of water were people that wanted to be in danger. He let his eyes fall on the boy in front of him again. His skin was dotted with freckles and moles, making his skin look almost double toned. There were circles under his eyes, but they were the kind that made one think they just needed a good night’s sleep to go away.

The boy was staring back at him curiously, his face a mask giving away nothing. 

“Are you alright?” Baz called out again, stopping short as the boy moved away from him. From behind a rock, he poked his head out, narrowing his eyes at Baz. “Alright,” he said, holding a hand out, “Sorry. I’ll stay away. Is that better?” The boy didn’t respond, and Baz was starting to wonder if they even spoke the same language. 

He let out a heavy sigh, crouching down so that he could submerge his hands completely into the clear ocean water. The currents didn't seem too strong at the moment, and this man seemed to be able to swim safely. There was no real danger here. “Do you mind if I chat with you for a little while, then? I’d appreciate the company.” Baz didn’t receive a response, but he wasn’t expecting one. The boy was still peeking out at him, but his expression seemed a bit more interested as if he wanted to know what he was going to say. 

“Do you ever feel like you’re completely alone?” It was a strange question to ask, but these were strange circumstances. He had no idea who this man was, let alone where he’d come from or why he was just sitting in the water. A part of his brain was already convincing him that this was just some delusion, a hallucination his brain had come up with to compartmentalize and bury the sour feelings building up in his stomach. 

He heard a sound then, like water slapping against bare skin, and looked up to see this other man swimming towards him. It took a while for Baz’s brain to catch up with what his eyes were seeing. The boy was on his stomach, his arms taut with the strain of holding himself up in the shallows. The discoloration started about where his belly button was, the tanned skin blending into a sort of smooth taupe. The skin there wasn’t scaled, it was smooth as oil, his legs not legs at all, but a tail. The end of it was a translucent grey, stretched thin with blue veins spread like lightning. His brows were raised, and his mouth turned down into a frown. 

Baz had a distinct impression that this man - _mer_ man? - knew what he’d just said. And he understood the feeling personally. 

“Do you understand what I’m saying?” He tried, pulling his hands back up to rest on his knees. 

The merman shifted his head, his eyes narrowing. He opened his mouth to say something, but seemed to second guess whatever it was, and closed it again promptly. Instead, he blinked once and nodded. Baz nodded, “Are you - real?” His voice hitched on the last word, partially because he couldn’t believe it, and partially because he wanted to try to coax more of a response from him. He reached a hand out, curious about the texture of his tail. His hand was close enough to feel the heat coming from his body when he stopped and pulled the hand back. “My name is Baz.”

He wasn’t expecting it when he heard the boy say “Baz,” in response. His voice was - well, underwhelming, honestly. It sounded like a normal voice, like a voice he’d hear at a party or in the marketplace. There was no magic to it, no musical ring. But it made Baz smile, nonetheless, “Yes! Baz. Do you have a name?” 

The boy pursed his lips, but after a minute, he shook his head. Baz wondered whether that was a mermaid thing or just a _this_ mermaid thing. Maybe he had no family, maybe he never had. The mermaid let out a sigh. 

“Maybe I’ll just call you Si,” Baz said, keeping his eyes on his face, “you know, because of the sigh.” It was funny to him, he thought. But the mermaid’s eyes got wide, and he nodded vigorously, a smile growing on his face. As if the name Si was the most precious thing he’d ever received. “Alright, Si it is…” 

* * *

They’d gotten into a sort of habit. Meeting up to swim together and hang out. Baz realized quickly that Si was lonely - he’d been _waiting_ for Baz the next time he’d come to this secret beach. Waiting and when he’d seen him, his face lit up. Suffice it to say, Baz felt - happy, content. 

Their routine was, essentially, Baz teaching Simon small phrases, and words. And then they would hang out - swimming together or chatting. There was nothing _exciting_ about the meetings, but Baz found himself looking forward to them. Seeing Si made his chest feel full, and being around him made it feel like it was beating too fast. 

That’s how Baz found himself sitting in the ocean, his shirt off, floating near Si. The novelty of knowing a mermaid was gone - mostly because Si didn’t act like having a tail was a big deal. It just kind of made him who he was. Baz was watching the sky, his eyes following the movements of the clouds as they passed over the setting sun. He wished they could stay like this forever, just the two of them together with no worries in the world. 

Turning his head to share that with Si, he stopped short. The expression on the mermaid's face was one of fondness. His eyes were warm, and his smile was so genuine that it took Baz a moment to remember how to breathe. “Why are you looking at me like that?” He said, rolling his eyes and ducking his face into the water to hide the heat of his cheeks. 

Si says, “Show me.” It’s something Baz would say to him if he realized that he was struggling to put a word to something. Baz could hear his pulse in his ears, the drumming so quick and loud he was afraid it would start to bother the water around him. Si started to move towards him, his movements easy and quick. Being a mermaid had its perks, Baz supposed, when you wanted to look cool in the water. 

He stopped just in front of Baz, the smile still spreading across his lips. He was looking at Baz tenderly like he was a fragile thing that he didn’t want to break, and it was slowly sucking all of the air from his lungs. “Okay,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper, “show me.” Even from this distance, Baz could smell the scent of the ocean rolling off of Si. The sea-salty, the _life_. Si’s hands started moving, slowly making their way up to the surface from beneath the water. 

He didn’t see it coming when the water swept up and splashed him in the face.

The smile on Si’s face was radiant now, the corners tugged up and his eyes gleaming with playful mischief. Baz let out a bark of a laugh, “The hell, Si?” He followed after him, ready to return the splash quickly. Si made his way behind a large rock, one of those brown boulders that jut out of the sea like a large finger. From there, he poked his head out only once, and only long enough to see that Baz was coming. 

Logically, Baz knew the smartest idea would be to attack him from the opposite side. But, he knew that Si would probably be expecting that. Instead, he continued on his track toward where he’d seen his face poking out. He approached slowly, his hands ready to return the fire with a quick sneak attack. As he rounded the rock he found… 

No one there. 

Disoriented, and a bit confused, Baz looked around, his body moving in a circle. There was no sign of him. Biting his lip, he started to swim back towards the area they’d been lounging at together. As he rounded the rock, he was splashed in the face once again. He heard Si’s laughter, a bubbling sound that rose from his throat like a sweet melody. Baz was ready though, so this time he splashed the water right back at him. 

After a few more rounds, they’re breathless, their laughter spreading warmly across the expanse of water and towards the shore. The stars are out now, casting bright and blurry reflections against the water. To Baz, the atmosphere is warm, and still and so perfect. The warmth in his chest is reminiscent of those moments when he’s alone and able to think clearly about what Si means to him.

“I love this, man, this is great.” The words slip from his mouth without a second thought. He lets his eyes fall to his friend, this mermaid that he met by some divine coincidence. He’s looking at Baz again, his feelings mirroring Baz’s own. 

Si swims forward, poking his index finger into Baz’s chest, “Love this man,” he repeats. Baz takes a deep breath. He’s not sure that Simon understands what those words mean to people, what they mean to him. He swallows once, and then grabbing Si’s finger, he pulls it away from his chest. 

He doesn’t look up when he says, “It’s late, I should probably head in before they send a search party looking for me.” Something in his mind won’t let his eyes catch Si’s, not with the knowledge of how much he wants to say to him. 

As he starts to swim away, Si catches his hand. “Show me,” he says softly. Baz closes his eyes and slowly turns back towards the mermaid. “Show me,” Si says again, voice urgent now. Opening his eyes, he lets them settle on Si. His lashes are speckled with droplets of water, his hair still hanging wetly into his face. One hand still holding onto Baz, he brings the other one up, slowly, to Baz’s lips. 

The gesture is so soft, and Baz doesn’t know what to say, or how to respond. He nods once, an affirmation Si was waiting on and feels his eyes focus on Si’s mouth. His lips looked soft, they were plump and pink, and they were moving towards his slowly. 

The kiss was slow when it happens, almost painfully slow. Their lips met each other with a chaste touch at first, a brushing of their lips in introduction. Baz wondered how long Si had wanted to kiss him; he wondered how long he’d wanted the same. As they grew more comfortable, Baz parted his lips against Si’s, and the kiss deepened. 

They stayed like that for a while, more wrapped in each other than anything else in the world. 

**Author's Note:**

> [tumblr](http://ouranose.tumblr.com) | [twitter](http://twitter.com/_allidavis)


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